Spotted Hyenas

Spotted Hyenas

Hyenas are omnivores, which means that they eat both animals and plants. They are successful hunters in groups or alone and will even try to catch fish, birds, and bugs in lakes.

Female hyenas give birth to twins in shallow holes near the den. These cubs stay with their mothers for one year.

Facts about Spotted Hyenas:

Though hyenas look like large dogs, they are actually more similar to cats like lions and tigers. Spotted hyenas live in large groups called clans, which can include up to 80 hyenas. They hunt in smaller groups and use various techniques to attack different types of animals.

Hyenas are omnivores, which means that they eat both animals and plants. They are successful hunters in groups or alone and will even try to catch fish, birds, and bugs in lakes.

After catching their prey, spotted hyenas celebrate by making a sound like a laugh. This giggle tells other hyenas that they have food to share, but it can also attract other animals, such as lions, to the feast. This can spark a game of tug-of-war. Usually the group with the largest number of animals wins the meat.

Hyenas have very powerful jaws and strong teeth. They can cut through meat easily, and their stomachs digest all parts of an animal, even skin and bones. Hyenas will also eat garbage left out by humans living nearby. Unsure of when their next meal will be, hyenas will eat as much as they can in one sitting, up to 40 pounds (18 kilograms) at one time!

Throughout Africa and parts of Asia hyenas roam the plains with their clans. The most common type is the spotted hyena. Baby spotted hyenas, called cubs, are born with black fur that grows out as lighter hair with spots. Other types include the striped hyena, which has a coat that looks like a zebra's, and the brown hyena, which has longer hair.

Spotted hyena clans, which are led by females, often meet at a large den in the middle of their territory. Hyenas have a complicated system of greeting and interacting with each other. Since they are in charge, females usually get first choice for the best mud baths and other favorite hyena activities.

Female hyenas give birth to twins in shallow holes near the den. These cubs stay with their mothers for one year and start following hunts when they are a few months old.

FAST FACTSThe scientific name for the spotted hyena is Crocuta crocuta.

The aardwolf is the hyena's closest relative.

Spotted hyenas can run for miles without getting tired. Their teeth and jaws can shred meat and splinter bones.

Spotted hyenas are often called laughing hyenas because of the noise they make after catching prey.

Unlike spotted hyenas, striped hyenas do not laugh or whoop. They usually live by themselves, scavenging dead animals for food.

The rare brown hyena of southern Africa is smaller than the spotted hyena and has longer hair.